Honors Implementation Work Session - March 2015

Helpful Hints from a Reviewer

Overarching Ideas and Hints

• Follow the rubric, even if you feel like you are repeating yourself in each section.
• Simply put: Tell how your class is more rigorous, and then give examples.
• Consistently and constantly refer to your uses of Revised Bloom's Taxonomy - specifically "analyze, evaluate, and create."
• Bold print your extensions. Make them easy for the reviewer to find.
  • Bullet the extended objectives.
• Show examples of rigorous content reading - prove the reading is MORE rigorous.
• Demonstrate how you are preparing students to solve problems.
• Make sure your student work samples include your feedback to students. (You will be marked down without the feedback.)
  • Feedback should be constructive and instructional in design.
  • Remove student identifying information.
• Avoid including the following: multiple choice, fill in the blank, true/false.
• All student work MUST align with your rationale.
• Go to the state Honors Implementation websitefor your content area. There are key words and terms for each content area. Make sure you use those words/terms.
• Give examples of how you provide students with the opportunity for "self-guided" research.
• Answer the question: What am I doing to build 21st century skills in these students? And more importantly, how am I doing that?
• Anyone can write something that looks good, but the goal is to explain this so that a parent and student could clearly see how this course prepares students for college and career far beyond that of a regular course.
• Give yourself credit for the things you have done.

Rationale

• What one reviewer found was that often a quality rationale = a great portfolio.
• Ask yourself: How is this course more rigorous than a standard course?
• Focus on the following:
  • Preparation for college and career (must address both)
  • Providing them with opportunities to use and hone 21st century skills
  • Address literacy skills (content literacy, digital literacy, overall literacy)
  • Increasing rigor
• Your syllabus MUST reflect your rationale.
• Pacing guide MUST show acceleration. (One good practice is to show a standard pacing alongside an honors pacing.)